Prospects for the sustainability of social-ecological systems (SES) on the Mongolian plateau: five critical issues

TheMongolianPlateauhosts twodifferent governments: theMongolianPeople’sRepublic and the Inner MongoliaAutonomousRegion, aprovincial-level governmentof thePeople’sRepublic ofChina.The divergencebetween these governmentshaswidened in thepast century,mostly due to a series of institutional changes that generateddifferent socioeconomic anddemographic trajectories.Due to its high latitude andaltitude, thePlateauhasbeenhighly sensitive to the rapid changes in global and regional climates that have altered the spatial and temporal distributionsof energy andwater.Basedona recent workshop to synthesizefindings on the sustainability of thePlateau amidst socioeconomic and environmental change,we identifyfive critical issues facing the social-ecological systems (SES): (1)divergent anduncertain changes in social and ecological characteristics; (2)decliningprevalenceof nomadism; (3) consequences of rapidurbanization in transitional economies; (4) theunsustainability of large-scale afforestationefforts in the semi-arid andarid areas of InnerMongolia; and (5) the role of institutional changes in shaping theSESon thePlateau.Weemphasize that lessons learned in InnerMongolia are valuable, butmaynot always apply toMongolia.National landmanagementpolicies and regulationshave long-termeffects on the sustainability of SES; climate change adaptationpolicies andpracticesmustbe tuned to local conditions and shouldbe central todecision-makingonnatural resourcemanagement and socioeconomicdevelopmentpathways. OPEN ACCESS

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